Ireland faces severe lack of nursing home beds within a decade

Rate of new developments is significantly off the pace required to serve the country’s growing elderly population, property industry experts warn

More than 14.5 per cent of Ireland’s population are now aged over 65 – up from 11.3 per cent ten years ago. Picture: Getty

Ireland will experience a severe shortage in nursing home accommodation within ten years, property industry experts have warned.

The rate of new nursing home development is significantly off the required pace, data produced by CBRE, the property consultancy has shown. Only 935 new beds were delivered during 2018 and 2019.

Cormac Megannety, director and head of healthcare at CBRE told the Health Summit event last week that Ireland’s total nursing home stock needs to hit ...